MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) closed down a consultancy firm in Quezon City on Monday for offering fake jobs overseas.
According to DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac, the firm Legal Connect Travel Consultancy in Quezon City engaged in illegal recruitment and illegal collection of fees.
“Legal Connect Travel Consultancy or Legal Connect Travel Services has done nothing legal. All their activities are illegal — illegal recruitment, illegal collection of fees, all are illegal,” Cacdac said in Filipino.
READ: DMW-DOT teamup to provide tourism jobs for returning OFWs
The DMW said that it acted on three complaints from applicants who were stalled or ignored by the firm after it collected fees from them. Two of the complainants were from Dubai-based overseas Filipino workers, while one was from Manila.
The DMW also said that the firm, which did not have a valid DMW license, offered jobs in Italy and Malta with monthly salaries of P250,000 to P380,000.
However, they would collect fees of P80,000 to P100,000 from applicants and will make them wait for six to eight months for fraud jobs, the DMW added.
The DMW likewise said that employees of the firm faced charges that could merit life imprisonment and fines. They would also be blacklisted from the DMW’s accreditation.
The DMW urges other applicants who were victimized by Lega Connect to report their cases to the MWPB through its Facebook page or email address — mwpb@dmw.gov.ph.
Those based in the UAE may also contact the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Hotline of the Philippine Embassy at +971563535558.
The DMW added that this was the second firm it shut down this year.